ANAHEIM : Extension of Freeze on Building Sought

A one-year building freeze on development around the Disneyland and Anaheim Convention Center area will go into effect immediately if the City Council accepts city planners’ recommendations tonight.

This is the last time the temporary ordinance can be renewed, and planners are seeking the maximum extension of one year. The 1,040-acre area has been under a temporary freeze since the 30-day emergency ordinance was first enacted May 1. It was extended for 90 days in June, and will expire this weekend.

The Disney Development Co., on behalf of the Walt Disney Co., sent the City Council a letter supporting the one-year extension, calling it a “necessary and customary planning tool.”

The company has supported the moratorium from the outset and is working with city planners, who are evaluating the possibility of a “second gate,” an expansion of Disneyland in Anaheim.

The city originally initiated the building freeze because a $300,000 study of the area was near completion, and planners said they needed to study the area under unchanging conditions. The study outlines ways to revitalize the tourist area.